Hundreds of Kenyan activists comprising of people living with HIV and those delivering and supporting HIV and tuberculosis treatment took to the streets of Nairobi on Monday (30 January 2012) claiming that the political commitment made 10 years ago to address global health is “evaporating”.
It is two months since the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria cancelled its next spending round due to funding shortfalls thus suspending new grant opportunities until 2014. Protesters are warning that the shortfalls could unravel a decade of progress against HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
The Nairobi protest was held to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Global Fund, which came into being following a landmark decision from international donors to support the roll out of HIV, TB and malaria prevention and treatment in countries that could not completely support programmes on their own.
For the last ten years the Global Fund has empowered countries and communities by being on the cutting edge of innovation and effective aid delivery and has proved a success in the history of public health in Kenya. The Global Fund is one of the largest financiers of global health and currently saves an estimated 100,000 lives every month.
The Global Fund has also contributed to dramatic gains in health and development by bringing the treatment of HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria to millions of people in poor and developing countries who otherwise would have died for lack of essential care and services. Nearly half of all people in need of HIV, TB and malaria treatment in developing countries now have access to treatment.
In Kenya over 400,000 people have been put on antiretroviral therapy but an estimated 500,000 still require to be put on the drugs. In 2009, 180,000 children were estimated to be living with HIV with an approximated 19,000 new child infections in 2010. Of these only 21% of children with HIV are accessing anti-retro viral treatment. TB mortality has reduced by more than a third since the 19190s and Kenya is on track to achieve international TB targets with the notable exception of multi- drug resistant TB (MD R-TB), which has slightly increased with all the 284 cases having been put on treatment. Similarly, through the distribution of hundreds of millions of bed, nets and anti- malaria medicines, negligible deaths from malaria have significantly dropped the last 10 years thanks to the Global Fund.
Campaigners say the government of Kenya must also deliver on its own commitments to increase domestic health financing. In 2001, the Kenyan government pledged to increase its health budget by 10% until it reached 15% of the total but has repeatedly failed to fulfil this commitment. Those who took to the streets this week say Kenya must keep its own promises and make faster progress towards meeting the Abuja Declaration Commitments. African Union member countries pledged to commit at least 15% of their national budget to health financing.
